Ruling-machine.



H. E. LINDBLADH.

RULING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3.1912.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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RULING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3.1912.

Patented Mar. 27,1917.

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RULING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3.1912.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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H. E. LINDBLADH.

RULING MACHINE. APPLICATION F.ILED Aueis. 1912.

' 1 ,22Q350. Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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nn'rrnn srairns OFFTQEG HARMON E. LINDBLADH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LINDBLADH CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

RULING-MAGI-IINE.

Application filed August 3, 1912.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HARMON E. LIND- BLADII, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Ruling-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

The forms in which stationery is now ruled are often so complicated, with lines of many different lengths, that in the use of ruling machines as heretofore organized it is necessary to pass. the sheets of paper or other stock through the machine several times, thus greatly increasing the expense of the operation and the length of time required for its completion. My invention permits any form, no matter how intricate, to be ruled by a single operation for each direction in which the lines traverse the sheets; and provides for this purpose a simple and compact apparatus in which the change from one form to another may be readily made, and which may be operated by one not possessing a high degree of skill.

It consists in the elements and combinations hereinafter described in connection with a particular embodiment of the invention, and more generically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of one form of my machine; Fig. 2 is a broken top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a partial transverse section on the line 1. ft of Fig. 2; Figs. 5 and 6 are details in side elevation and top plan, respectively, of a controlling lever with a section of its fulcrum-shaft; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail of the mounting for the pen-bar, and Fig. 8 shows on a reduced scale a sheet ruled in accordance with the arrangement of levers appearing in the preceding figures.

Similar characters designate like parts in all fi ures of the drawings.

Journaled at their opposite extremities in a suitable supporting frame 10 are drums 11 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2'7, 191?.

Serial No. 713,140.

and 12 over which operates a belt or feeding member 13, this passing above a guide-roll 14L rotatable in the frame and across a table 15 extending transversely of the frame. Above the drum 11 is rotatably mounted a feeding drum 16, between which and the belt the material to be operated upon is introduced from a delivery-shelf 16 Power is applied to the feeding members through a main driving shaft 17 carrying a pulley 18 which may be rotated at the desired speed by a belt from any convenient source of power. Fast upon the shaft 17 is a pinion 19 meshing with a gear 20 fixed upon the spindle of the feeding drum 16. This spindle also carries a gear 64 cooperating in turn with a gear 21 of the same diameter upon the spindle of the belt drum 11, this causing the advance of the belt and periphery of the feeding drum at the same speed. To allow the driving power to be thrown off the machine, the connection between the shaft 17 and pinion 19 is through a clutch 22, which may be shifted by a rod 23 extending across the machine and having a handle in a convenient position to be grasped by the operator. As it may be desirable in adjusting the machine or work therein to temporarily operate it by hand, a crank 24 is secured to the spindle of the draim 16 adjacent to the handle of the clutchro In standards 25, 25 rising from the opposite sides of the frame near the rear of the table 15 is a bar 26, upon which are mounted pens or ruling devices 27 of the usual construction. These are of flexible sheet metal, each having a shank 27 by which they are held in a single series transversely of the machine by a clamp 28 secured to the bar by set-screws 29. The points of the troughshaped portions of the pens cooperate with the belt 13 near the center-line of the table. The pens are supplied with ink of the desired color by any convenient device (not illustrated) From the ends of the bar project spindles 29 and 30 supported in the standards 25. To enable the pen-bar to be adjusted vertically to bring it into parallelism with the belt and table the spindles are mounted in blocks 31 sliding in the standards. Projecting toward one another from the blocks and from the lower portion of the standards are upper and lower alined screws 32 and 33 oppositely threaded, and each pair is engaged by a correspondingly threaded nut 34. When either of the nuts is turned the bar at that end will be raised or lowered by the approach or separation of the screws; and to compensate for this travel the spindle 29 is threaded through its block and is pivotally connected to the bar by a transverse end-piece 35 turning in lugs 86. Upon this spindle is a hand-wheel 37 by which it may be adjusted as the blocks are raised or lowered; and to lock the threaded spindle in position a nut 38 thereon may be forced into contact with the block in which it turns. Any movement which occurs at the other end of the bar is taken care of by the play between the block 81 and its standard. Rotation of this spindle 29 also permits an adjustment of the bar, and consequently of the entire series of pens, transversely of the machine. When it is desired to lift and lock all the pens clear of the belt, the nut 38 is loosened and the bar is raised by an arm 39 until a screw 40 threaded therethrough is above a latch 41 pivoted upon a bracket 41 projecting from the standard of the spindle 29. The latch is then turned into the path of the screw, and the bar thus holds its upwardly tilted position until it is again released by throwing back the latch.

In my improved machine I furnish means for independently controlling the engagement of each pen of the entire series with the material operated upon. Extending across the machine at the rear of the penbar is a shaft or other support 42 fixed in standards 43, 43. Upon this shaft arranged in a single series are fulcrumed controlling levers 44, each having a nearly horizontal arm 45 projecting beneath the bar 26 to a point near the forward extremities of the pens. The opposite end of each lever is upwardly inclined and has a horizontal extrem ity 46 for contact with actuating members to be later described. There may be carried upon the shaft 42 a. controlling lever for cooperation with each of the pens, those which it is not desired to actively use being moved to one side out of the path of the sheets traveling through the machine. As shown, each of the levers 44 is of substantially the same thickness or width laterally as, or at least not greater than, the maximum width of the corresponding pen and extends in the same direction. By this arrangement there may be imparted to each lever and pen a movement independent of every other associated pen, however closely placed. To hold the levers which are in use in a correct relation to the pens with which they are to cooperate, the shaft 42 is provided with a series of generally V-shaped grooves 47 extending about a portion of the circumference of the shaft and respectively alined with the pens. Each controlling lever has a projection, preferably furnished by a screw 48 threaded through it with a pointed end adapted to enter any one of the grooves in the shaft according to the point to which the particular lever ismoved. When thus positioned and the screw turned down so that the point lies within a groove. the lever is free to oscillate about the shaft, resting against the underside of the corresponding pen, and when its opposite end is depressed raising the working point of said pen from the belt, this penmovement occurring by virtue of the flexibility of its shank. It may happen that adjacent pens are to be simultaneously controlled. In this case itis unnecessary that each pen should have a lever 44. Instead there may be fixed to the arm 45 of a lever a contact-plate 48 (Figs. 5 and 6') lying beneath and cooperating with a plurality of the pens. v

To maintain the forward extremity of each controlling lever normally in contact with its pen, there is secured to a post'49 upon the lever a leaf-spring 50, which ex tends over a rod 51 carried by arms 52 projecting rearwardly from the standards 43. However the levels may be situated, their springs, which are bodily movable with them, will find engagement with this red and thus be always kept under tension regardless of lateral adjustment. To enable the tension of the springs to be varied, the l arms 52 may be bolted to the standards through slots 52 so that the rod may be adjusted to various positions. This rod also serves as a. stop for the controlling levers by the contact of their upwardly inclined arms with its under side.

Journaled to oscillate in standards 53, 53 is a vertical series of shafts or supports 54, upon each of which may be variably fixed by set-screws 54" a series of actuatingarms 55.

These arms are of different lengths, but those for the same shaft being of the same length, having horizontal portions 56 and vertical portions 57 which are parallel to one another upon the succeeding shafts. 7 All of these vertical portions extend over the ends 46 of the controlling levers but clear those of the other shafts54, so that all the arms of the various shaft groups may be freely adjusted across the machine without interfering with the arms of other groups.

To impart to each shaft 54 and to each of its groups of arms 55 and corresponding groups of levers and pens the pen-controlling movement, there is secured to each shaft 54 a driving arm 57 extending into contact with a camsurface 58 upon a Wheel 59, the number of wheels being equal to the number of shafts 54. These cam-wheels are fast upon a shaft 60, journaled in standards 61, 61 and rotated by a pinion 62 meshing with a gear 63 turning upon a stud 64 and also engaging the gear 20 upon the spindle of the feeding drum 1.6. The stud is adjustable in a sector-shaped slot concentric with the shaft of the gear 64 and situated in an arm 65 depending from one side of the frame. The pinion 62 is made readily removable, so that by placing upon the shaft 60 pinions of various diameters and correspondingly adjusting the gear 63, the rate of travel of the cams with respect to the feeding members may be varied within suitable limits. The cam-surfaces may be furnished by plates 66 situated in peripheral grooves in the Wheels 59 and secured by screws 67 engaging a circumferential series of holes about the wheels. By altering the extent and location of plates 66 the contour of each cam surface may be varied to properly time the lift and release of its group of actuating arms, controlling levers and pens. Spiral springs 68, extending between the driving arms 57 and a rod 69 lying across the machine, hold said arms into contact with their cam-surfaces.

The machine is equipped with the usual gate 70 which positions each sheet upon the feeding belt and automatically releases it for presentation to the pens. This gate is carried by an oscillating shaft 71 mounted in bearings 72, 72. From the shaft of the gate an arm 73 projects into cooperation with a cam 74 rotatable by a shaft 75, the rotary movement being imparted to the shaft by a pinion 76 and intercurrent pinion 77, the latter being fixed to the shaft 60.

The gate-arm is shown as drawn into contact with the cam by a spiral spring 7 7*. The working contour of the cam 74 is such that the gate is for a brief period held in the path of an approaching sheet to position it on the belt, and then is released at the cor-' rect time with respect to the cams 58 to free said sheet and allow it to travel with the belt beneath the pens in accord with the lift of the pens.

The sheets to be operated upon may be so cut that their adjacent edges are not truly at right angles, and to present the sheets properly it may become necessary to adjust the angle of the gate with relation to the feeding belt to cause the ruled lines to become parallel with the edges of the sheets which extend in the direction of said lines. When this is done the pen bar must be similarly adjusted, and, to prevent the lift of the pens from varying, the controlling elements must also be correspondingly changed. To enable this operation to be conveniently and accurately performed, plates 78 and 79 are mounted to slide in ways 80 at opposite sides of the frame, they being of such width that they have some lateral play in the ways. Upon these plates all the standards supporting the various elements are mounted. Secured upon the plate 78 is a rack 81 and in a bracket adjacent to the rack is journaled a short shaft 82, carrying a pinion 83 and engaging the rack and having at its outer end a handwheel 84 by which it may be turned. The plate 78 may be fixed in position by a setscrew 85, passing through a slot 86 and being threaded into the frame, a nut 86 upon the set-screw bearing upon the top of the plate. The opposite plate 79 is pivoted upon a stud 87 rising from the frame, so that the plate may swing in its guides without moving longitudinally. lVhen it becomes necessary to adjust the gate the setscrew and its nut are loosened and the hand-wheel 84 turned until the rack and pinion have shifted the plate 78 sufficiently to give the ate the proper angle. Simultaneously with the movement of the gate all the standards at the same side of the machine will be correspondingly moved, so that the parallelism of the transverse elements of the machine will be maintained. The set-screw 85 is then tightened to fix the adjustment.

To prepare my apparatus for operation, a controlling lever 44 is adjusted beneath each pen or group of pens which is to be raised from the work, and the point of its screw turned down into the slot 47 of the fulcrum-shaft alined with the pen. F or the machine as illustrated to rule the vertical lines on the sheet A shown in Fig. 8 there will be ten of the levers actually employed. Now for each group of lines of different length, of which this sheet has five, a cam- Wheel 59, shaft 54 and driving arm 57 is utilized, with the actuating arms 55 of each shaft corresponding in number to the lines in each group. The variable cam-plates are adjusted to lift the pens through the lever system at the correct times, the precise contour of these cams not appearing in the drawings. The machine having been adjusted, sheets to be ruled are placed upon the delivery-shelf and successively advanced between the belt and the feeding-drum. Upon reaching the gate they contact with its lower edge and are squared upon the belt by it, and then released by the action of the gate-cam at the proper time for presentation to the pens. This time of release bears a definite relation to the period of operation of the pen-controlling cams, so that the beginning of the ruled lines will be the proper distance from the forward edge of the sheet. As the sheets advance over the table beneath the pens, those-not lifted by the controlling levers produce their lines; and as the travel of the sheet continues, the passing of the cam-sm'laces 58 from beneath certain of the driving arms drop other pens, which also produce their lines. Thus the ruling of all the groups of lines in this direction is completed at a single operation, this continuing for each sheet delivered by the gate, the dili'erent lengths of lines being automatically controlled throughout the operation. lVhen another form is to be ruled, it is a comparatively simple matter to vary the actuating arm and controlling lever groups and their operating cams to meet the new conditions.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a ruling machine, ruling devices, a support, controlling members each of substantially the same lateral extent as a ruling device to adapt them for independent engagement with closely adjacent ruling devices, said controlling members being independently movable upon the support in their operation of the ruling devices, and means for actuating the controlling members.

2. In a ruling machine, ruling devices, controlling means arranged in a single series for cooperation with each ruling device, means arranged in a plurality of series for actuating the controlling means in groups, and means for moving the actuating means independently of one another.

3. In a rulin machine, ruling devices, a series of controlling members, each member being adapted for cooperation with a single ruling device, and a series of members for actuating the contrdlling members in groups, the controlling members constituting each group being independently movable in the operation of the machine with respect to one another.

at. In a ruling machine, a pen, a. lever cooperating with the pen and being throughout its length of substantially the same thickness as the pen, a fulcrum about which the lever moves, and means for rocking the lever about the fulcrum to control the pen.

5. A ruling machine comprising a series of devices adapted to rule closely adjacent lines, controlling members mounted for movement into cooperation with any ruling device of the series, and means for imparting to the members a movement to produce their controlling effect, the controlling members and moving means therefor both being adapted to be closely positioned for the operation of immediately adjacent ruling devices.

6. The combination with ruling devices, of controlling means for each ruling device,

and actuating levers having fulcra independent of the controlling means and having arms cooperating with the controlling means.

7. In a ruling machine, movable ruling devices, a controlling member individual to each ruling device, an actuating member individual to each controlling member, and independent rotatable means for operating said actuating members in groups.

8. The combination with ruling devices, of a controlling lever for each ruling device, and an actuating lever having plural arms cooperating with the controlling levers.

9. A ruling machine comprising a series of pens, a support extending longitudinally of the series, members adjustable along the support into contact with a particular pen and being mounted to oscillate upon the support to control the pens, an actuating member cooperating with each of said controlling members, and a support independent of the controlling members upon which'the actuating members oscillate.

10. The combination with a series of pens, of a support, a lever for each pen of the series mounted to oscillate upon'the support independently of the associated levers and having an arm cooperating with the corresponding pen and also having an oppositely extending arm, and an actuating lever cooperating with each of the last-named arms.

11. The combination with a series of pens, of a support, a lever for each pen of the series mounted to oscillate upon the support independently of the associated levers and having an arm cooperating with the corre sponding pen and also having an oppositely extending arm, means for oscillating the levers cooperating with each of the lastnamed arms, said oscillating means being arranged in groups, and means common to each group for operating the oscillating means.

12. The combination with a series of pens, of lifting members for cooperation with the pens, a fulcrum-shaft for the lifting members provided with circumferential grooves occupying definite positions with relation to the pens, and means carried by the lifting members for engaging the grooves.

13. The combination with a plurality of I ruling devices, of a support, controlling means for each of theruling devices inde pendently movable .upon the support, a plurality of other supports, and actuating means for each of the controlling means mounted to move with the last-named supports in their actuation of said controlling means;

1a. The combination with a plurality of independently movable pens, of a support, oscillatory controlling means for the pens independently movable upon the support, a plurality of oscillatory supports, and actuating means for the controlling means mounted upon the supports and cooperating with different groups of controlling means.

15. The combination with a plurality of pens, of a support, controlling means for the pens independently movable upon the support, a plurality of other supports, actuating means for the controlling means fixed to the supports, and independent means for moving each. of the last-named supports.

16. The combination with a plurality of independently movable pens, of a support, controlling means for the pens independently movable upon the support, a plurality of other supports, actuating means for the controlling means fixed to the supports, and independent means for moving each of the last-named supports.

17. The combination with a plurality of pens, of a support, controlling means for the pens independently movable upon the support, a plurality of other supports, actuating means for the controlling means fixed to the supports, and means for moving the last-named supports at different times.

18. A ruling machine comprising a bar, pens mounted thereon, a shaft, levers oscillating about the shaft and cooperating with the pens, a plurality of other shafts, arms fixed to the last-named shafts and cooperating with the levers, and means for oscillating the arm-shafts.

19. A ruling machine comprising a bar, pens movable thereon, a shaft, levers oscil lating about the shaft and cooperating with the pens, a plurality of other shafts, arms fixed to the last-named shafts and cooperating with the levers, and cams acting upon the arm-shafts.

20. A ruling machine comprising a bar, pens independently movable thereon, a shaft, levers oscillating about the shaft and cooperating with the pens, a plurality of other shafts, arms fixed to the last-named shafts and cooperating with the levers, and earns of variable contour acting upon the arm-shafts.

21. A ruling machine comprising a bar, pens independently movable thereon, a shaft, levers oscillating about the shaft and cooperating with the pens, a plurality of other shafts, lever-arms and driving arms fixed to the last-named shafts, and cams cooperating with the driving arms.

22. A ruling machine comprising a bar, pens mounted thereon, a shaft, levers oscillating about the shaft and cooperating with the pens, a plurality of other shafts, arms upon the last-named shafts, means for variably fixing the arms upon the shafts, and means for oscillating said shafts.

2-3. A ruling machine comprising a bar, pens independently movable thereon, a shaft, levers oscillating about the shaft and cooperating with the pens, a plurality of other pens,

shafts arranged in a vertical series, arms fixed to the last-named shafts and extending horizontally for different distances into cooperation with the levers, and means for oscillating the arm-shafts.

9/ In a ruling machine, the combination with feeding means, of a series of standards mounted at opposite sides of the machine, means mounted upon the standards for oper ating upon the material to be ruled and including pens, lifting levers therefor, a feedgate and cams, and means connecting the standards for varying the position of all said standards at one side of the machine.

25. In a ruling machine, a plurality of pens, a support, controlling members for the pens independently movable along the support, a spr ng for each controlling member bodily movable therewith, and a member extending in the same direction as the support and being common to all the springs and with which they cooperate.

26. In a ruling machine, a plurality of pens, a support, controlling members for the pens independently movable along the support, a spring for each controlling member bodily movable therewith, and a member extending in the same direction as the support and with which both the springs and controlling members contact.

27. In a ruling machine, a plurality of independently movable controlling members for the pens, a spring for each controlling member, a member common to all the springs with which they cooperate, and means for holding said common member in different positions with relation to the springs.

28. In a ruling machine, a plurality of pens, independently movable controlling members for the pens, a leaf-spring secured to each controlling member, and a rod extending between all the controlling members and their springs.

99. in a ruling machine, a plurality of ruling devices arranged in a series, controlling members for the ruling devices mounted for movement along the series of such ruling devices, a. spring for each controlling member bodily movable therewith, and a member extending in the direction of the series of ruling devices and being common to all the springs and with which they cooperate.

30. In a ruling machine, a plurality of ruling devices arranged in a series, controlling members for the ruling devices mounted for movement along the series of such ruling devices, a spring for each controlling member bodily movable therewith, and a member extending in the direction of the series with which the springs and the controlling members cooperate.

31. In a ruling machine, a plurality of ruling devices arranged in a series, controlling members for the ruling devices mounted erating with the controlling lever and being for movement along the series of such rulfulcrumed independently thereof. ing devices, a spring for each controlling Signed at Boston, in the county of Suffolk member bodily movable therewith, and a and State of Massachusetts, this first day of 5 member extending in the direction of the se- August, 1912.

ries of ruling devices and with Which all the HARMON E LINDBLADH springs and ruling devices contact.

32. The combination with ruling devices, Witnesses: of a controlling lever for the ruling devices, ALICE E. LINDBLADH, 10 and an actuating lever having an arm coop- GUSTAVE LINDBLADH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

